Killingworth teacher heads to court Tuesday

A Killingworth Elementary School teacher accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a student is expected to enter his pleas Tuesday in Middlesex Superior Court.

AMY L. ZITKA

Published
12:00 am EST, Sunday, December 31, 2000

Jaime Arias, who was recently arraigned in the Middletown court, is scheduled to plea on sexual assault and risk charges.

The 39-year-old Spanish teacher was arrested on a warrant Dec. 7 by members of the State Police Central District Major Crime Squad. The detectives from Troop F in Westbrook on Nov. 2 began investigating a report of inappropriate sexual contact between a teacher and student at the Route 81 elementary school, police said. The investigation revealed Arias allegedly touched the student -- whose age and gender were not disclosed -- inappropriately on two separate occasions.

Both incidents took place recently on school grounds during school hours, police said.

Middlesex Superior Court issued an arrest warrant for Arias on Dec. 5. He was arrested two days later without incident at his Manchester home, police said.

Arias was charged with two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He remains free on $10,000 bail.

School officials were made aware of the investigation soon after it began and ensured limited contact between Arias and students, police said.

Arias had not been in the schools for weeks, and his classes had been canceled since he left, school officials said.